Tear duct device for sleeping doll eye



July 13, 1965 H. BRUDNEY 3,193,963

TEAR DUCT DEVICE FOR SLEEPING DOLL EYE Filed April 4, 1962 E il BYATTORNEY United States Patent 3,193,968 TEAR DUCT DEVICE FOR SLEEPENGDOLL EYE Harry Brudney, New York, N.Y., assignor, by inesne assignments,to Jacoby-Bender, Inc, Woodside, N.Y., a corporation of New York FiledApr. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 185,15? Claims. (Cl. 46-135) This inventionrelates to doll eyes and more particularly to sleeping eyes havingprovision for effecting water passage to simulate weeping or tearing.

The problem of effecting tearing in doll eyes has existed for some timeand has been solved in various ways. For example, the prior art containsmany patents which disclose passageways around movable eyeballscomprising grooves or clearances in the eye shell which forms a housingfor a unitary integrally assembled doll eye. Other patents show holesthrough the doll head adjacent the eyes to which water tubes areconnected. Various other expedients are known in the prior art. However,such prior art devices have respective drawbacks. For example, wherewater is introduced into the eye to circumvent the eyeball around all orpart of its Periphery, it is dimcult to control the quantity of waterpassing through, and there is danger of excess flow from the eye. Inconstructions where holes are molded or drilled through doll headsadjacent the eyes, there are molding difliculties, or extra operationalsteps required, and in any event such usage is generally restricted tohard material heads.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the abovedrawbacks, and more particularly to provide a tearing eye usable with aso-called soft vinyl head, such tearing eye being of the integrallyassembled unit type that is merely pushed into a molded eye cavity inthe head.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from thedescription that follows.

Briefly, the invention contemplates the molding of a small bore in thefront eye shell for connection to a water conducting tube that passeslongitudinally through the assembly emerging through a bore in the rearshell for connection to suitable flexible water tubing from a reservoir.The molding of the water passage bore in the plastic front shell can bereadily accomplished and effects an economy to doll manufacturers inthat no special molds or change in molds need be made in conjunctionwith the molding of doll heads which they procure or manufacture. Thus,any vinyl doll head can be utilized for purposes of manufacturing atearing doll.

Further, by molding such a bore in the front shell on each side of theeye, it is possible to provide selectivity as to source of tearing foreach eye. Thus, the tube may be connected to either of the apertures sothat tearing can be achieved either adjacent the doll nose or adjacentthe far corner of the eye.

Referring now to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a doll eye incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section through 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing only onetearing tube;

FIG. 3 is a section through 33 of FIG. 2, the complete front shell beingshown at its rear and the locking rim and rear cover being removed, and

FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG. 1, with the back cover removed.

Referring to all of the figures of the drawing, the doll eye of theinvention comprises a front shell of molded plastic having an eyeaperture 12 in which an aperture or bore 14 is provided in the course ofthe molding process on each side of the eyeball 18. The plastic materialis somewhat thicker at 15 than normal at the side of the shell in orderto provide material for full enclosure of Patented July 13, 1965 thebore 14. Directly below the bore and substantially co-planar therewithis the usual slot 22 for reception of respective trunnions 25. Either ofthe bores 14 can slidably accept a fairly rigid metal or plastic tube 28which may be force fitted therein for secure holding. Thus, tube 28 canbe connected in the usual manner to any water source within the doll,and conduct water through bore 14 to the exterior of the shell 10 tosimulate weeping or tearing. It will be noted that the bore 14- isprovided with a constriction 32 followed by a somewhat widened frontopening 36 of generally elliptical shape. The construction serves as aflow control and the widened front opening permits formation of a largetear or rather the gathering of sufiicient liquid to form a large waterdrop before it rolls down the cheek.

The tube 28 passes outwardly to the rear of the eye unit through theplastic or metallic rear shell 40 which is recessed at 43 on each side,the recess effecting a flat surface 47, apertured at 51, through whichaperture the tube 28 passes and has support therein.

The remaining assembly is fairly conventional in that a weight 59 on anintegrally molded tail 53 of the eyeball 18 effects the usual sleepingfunction and a retainer ring 57 is fitted within front shell 10 toretain trunnions 25 in place in respective slots 22, in the usualmanner.

Having thus described the invention, I am aware that various changes maybe made without departing from the spirit thereof, and accordingly donot seek to be limited to the precise illustration herein given, exceptas set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tearing doll eye, a front shell having an aperture and having apair of bores therethrough, said bores being disposed on respectiveopposite sides of said shell and adjacent said aperture, a doll eyewithin said shell and visible through said aperture, a rear casingsecured to said shell enclosing the rear thereof to form a unitaryassembled doll eye, said rear casing having respective apertures alignedwith said bores for support of a liquid conducting tube extendingthrough either aperture and connecting with the respective bore.

2. A tearing doll eye comprising a front shell having an eye apertureand a bore longitudinally extending through said shell at the side ofsaid eye aperture, and closely adjacent thereto, said bore having awidened opening at the exterior surface of said shell and having arestricted passageway through which liquid must pass before emergingfrom said opening, whereby passage of liquid is con trolled to slowlyform a drop of increasing size at said opening whereby the increasedopening of said bore effects an area for forming a large tear drop whilebeing fed liquid through said bore.

3. A tearing doll eye comprising a unitary assembly having a front shelland a rear housing secured thereto, and a doll eye within said housing,said front shell having an aperture through which said doll eye isvisible and having a pair of bores on opposite sides of said apertom andclosely adjacent to the edge thereof, and being symmetrically disposedWith respect to the optical axis of said eye, means for connectingeither of said bores with a liquid source, said front shell havingdiametrically aligned trunnion sockets on an axis parallel to the planeof said bores.

4. A tearing doll eye comprising a unitary assembly having a moldedplastic front shell with a liquid conducting bore disposedlongitudinally therethrough, and having an aperture through which a dolleye is visible, said bore having a front opening closely adjacent theedge of said aperture, a doll eye rotatively supported within said frontshell, a rear casing secured to said front shell and having a recessedportion effecting a generally flat plateau,

r 3 r V 4 an aperture through said plateau, a tube extending throughReferences Cited by the Examiner said aperture and haying bearingsnpport therein and 7' UNITED STATES PATENTS being connected to saidbore 1n sald front eye shell for V v conducting liquid thereto. o f v Vl V l 7 2,748,530 6/56 SteCkeIF-4 46-135 5. In 5 doll ey e as set forthin claim 4, said front open- 7 5 2,819,560 71/58 C 46135 ing of saidbore being widenedto permit formation of a V I large teardrop and saidbore having a restriction therein RICHARD K nmary Examiner to controlliquidfeed at a slow rate to said front opening. DELBERT B. LOWE,Examiner.

2. A TEARING DOLL EYE COMPRISING A FRONT SHELL HAVING AN EYE APERTUREAND A BORE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SHELL AT THE SIDE OFSAID EYE APERTURE, AND CLOSELY ADJACENT THERETO, SAID BORE HAVING AWIDENED OPENING AT THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID SHELL AND HAVING ARESTRICTED PASSAGEWAY THROUGH WHICH LIQUID MUST PASS BEFORE EMERGINGFROM SAID OPENING, WHEREBY PASSAGE OF LIQUID IS CONTROLLED TO SLOWLYFORM A DROP OF INCREASING SIZE AT SAID OPENING WHEREBY THE INCREASEDOPENING OF SAID BORE EFFECTS AN AREA FOR FORMING A LARGE TEAR DROP WHILEBEING FED LIQUID THROUGH SAID BORE.